New hair and beauty app launched by student entrepreneurs

InvEnterPrize winners CLIPR receive £10,000 boost: Left to right – Dr Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, Pro Vice-Chancellor Aberystwyth University; Professor Donald Davies, Chair of Inventerprize judging panel; CLIPR developers Howun Lam, James Stone and James Bryan; Tony Orme, Careers Service at Aberystwyth University and Louise Jagger, Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Aberystwyth University.

Student entrepreneurs at Aberystwyth have launched a new mobile app that could revolutionise the way people book hair and beauty appointments.

CLIPR which enables users to book appointments on mobile phones or tables has been launched on Google Play.

Developers James Bryan, James Stone and Howun Lam worked closely with hair and beauty salons and barber shops in Aberystwyth to develop the app to enable them to run their businesses from their smartphones.

They are now looking to their fellow students and members of the public to test the app by booking appointments, and provide feedback on their experience.

The team will also produce specially designed posters for businesses to put in shop windows that feature a QR code that makes it easy to download the app.

“CLIPR is Airbnb-meets-Uber for hair and beauty”, said James Bryan, who came up with the idea whilst looking for a hair salon open on a Sunday in Aberystwyth. “Using the app is a very simple, intuitive process which will be familiar to anyone using social media.”

“With graduation only a few weeks away, many students will be looking to book appointments with salons or barbers in Aberystwyth for the big day. We would be delighted if as many people as possible were to download the app, book an appointment and let us know how they get on. Only with this kind of feedback will we be able to improve the app for the users and for the business who are listed with us”, added James.

In March, CLIPR was judged the winner of Aberystwyth University’s annual entrepreneurship competition InvEnterPrize.

Along with the title of InvEnterPrize winners, the team received a £10,000 prize to invest in developing the concept.

With the android version up and running, the team are now working on an iOS version for Apple iPhones and iPads.

They are also recruiting more hair and beauty businesses and barbers onto the app and hope to make Aberystwyth the first town in Europe to have connected its entire hair and beauty market on one app.

CLIPR was the 4^th student business idea to win InvEnterPrize.

The £10,000 prize for the winner is provided by alumni via the Aber Fund and enables the winner to invest in equipment, facilities or professional services to turn the invention or business start-up idea into reality.

The Chair of the judges for InvEnterPrize 2018, Professor Donald Davies said: “InvEnterPrize is extremely important and clearly inspires students here at Aberystwyth University to venture and develop ideas that go beyond what they might normally do. It is so important to sow the seed of an idea that students can develop into a business, and this competition, along with the support the teams receive throughout the year from the University’s Careers service, makes this all possible.”

InvEnterPrize organiser Tony Orme from Aberystwyth University’s Careers Service said: “James is an incredibly entrepreneurial student who engaged with the University’s support for student enterprise throughout his three years studying in Aberystwyth. He and his fellow team members gave a great “pitch” at the InvEnterPrize Dragons Den finals and was a very deserved winner of this year’s £10,000 prize”.

Aberystwyth University offers a full programme of events to support entrepreneurial activity amongst students, alumni and staff. To find out more visit AberPreneurs online.

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